1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to toasters employed to toast bread and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a toaster device employing a plurality of heating elements which each configure to allow independent control by the user. The device allows the user to selectively choose different heating and toasting characteristics for each of a plurality of bread slices inserted. Thereby allowing the user to adjust the heating characteristics for each side surface of the bread as well as portions thereof.
2. Prior Art
Bread has been a staple of the human diet for centuries and toasted or warmed bread has been a popular mode of preparing bread products for consumption. Since the advent of the electric pop-up toaster, the ability and convenience to quickly and effectively toast bread products has been brought to nearly every kitchen counter top in the U.S. and around the world.
Despite the modern revolution in electronic products and their manufacture, the manner in which a toaster operates however, has remained relatively unchanged in the many decades since its conception. Conventionally, a toaster comprises a exterior shell or body having slots, or in some cases doors, adapted for receiving slices of bread or bread products. Contained within the shell is an internal housing comprising a plurality of heating elements surrounding cavities configured to surround inserted bread products. During toasting or warming of inserted bread products, the heating elements are electrified and thereby heated, and subsequently cooled once inserted bread is finished warming or toasting. The heating cycle wherein the heating elements are electrified is generally determined by a timer or heat sensor in a fashion allowing the quick toasting of the exterior side surfaces of the bread slices or inserted bread products such as a bagel.
Toasting adjustments which result in more or less cooking of the bread surfaces, are typically provided by employment of a switch varying the power input to the heating elements, or varying the time in which the slice of bread is exposed to the adjacent heated heating elements. Thus, a longer period of time adjacent a heated element, results in a darker toasted surface of the inserted bread.
However, different manufacturers of toasters are known to employ heating elements which draw different wattage and therefor achieve different temperatures as well as the rate of heating and cooling of the elements. This makes it difficult for average users to determine a toasting cycle time and element heat, which produces perfectly toasted bread.
Further, different types of bread products such as sliced bread, bagels, English muffins, and the like, often require different toasting times due to larger or smaller surface areas and internal areas. Such differences must be accounted for by the user when selecting the proper toast cycle. Bagels, in particular, are difficult to toast in conventional toasters due their shape, and the fact that there is a hole in the center and because some users prefer the open area of the sliced bagel toasted and the curved skin area untoasted, whereas other user prefer both sides of a bagel half toasted.
Users must take all of these variables into consideration on conventional toasters which generally energize the heating elements on both sides of a bread surrounding slot. In making their choice, users generally use a single control which employs toasting indicia, such as bread colors, and dial in the desired bread surface color of their resulting toast. As such, what frequently results, is a slice of bread or bread product, which is under toasted, unevenly toasted, over toasted (burnt), or has two sides toasted where a single side was desired.
The conventional two-slice toasters in use today commonly employ only three heating elements positioned on opposite sides of two slots sized for inserted bread products of choice. The two exterior elements are single sided mica boards or similar material with rows of nickel chromium resistance wire wrapped such that it is primarily on one side of the mica board facing the slot.
A middle or third element employs nickel chromium resistance wire wrapped on both sides in order to provide heat to the opposite sides of both slots of the exterior elements.
Although the shared central heating element serving one side of both bread slots reduces the amount of electricity which is needed for heating the toaster, uneven toasting on at least one side of the bread slice is often a result. Further, because both sides of both bread slots are heated by the radiating heat elements, the user has little choice in the eventual outcome of the toasted bread, other than guessing an appropriate indicia color to choose adjacent to an adjusting dial.
This problem of uneven heating and toasting, and the toasting of bread side surface which are not desired, and the over toasting of one bread side surface and the under toasting of the other surface continue under the present art.
As a result, there is a continuing unmet need for an electric toaster device for bread products, which provides a means for independently controlling each of a plurality of heating elements, positioned adjacent to each of a respective side of a slot adapted for bread insertion. Such a device should be configured to allow the user to selectively choose the amount of toasting or warming each individual side surface of each bread slice or other food item inserted in the toaster. Such a toasting device in addition to providing means for individual adjustment of the elements for toasting, should provide visual feedback as to each adjustment component which is clearly discernable for resulting toasting, to allow the user to easily choose and discern a correct choice for toasting of each bread surface.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.